What a brave little bird!

Jenny_Aster

I know this isn't exactly gardening, though I was gardening at the time .

Had to look up to the sky because of loud squawking from above; it was a bird about the size of a blackbird being chased by a buzzard (I think: 'fingers' at the end of it's wings) which was about 3 times the size of the smaller bird. Then all of a sudden the smaller bird flew above the larger bird and started attacking it from above. The smaller bird was more agile and could dodge the buzzard quite well - but no doubt it was perilous for the smaller bird, but what a commotion! This went on for about 5 minutes, then they both split away from each other - no doubt the buzzard decided it'd had enough.

I'm full of admiration for the smaller bird's spirit, I imagine the smaller bird was decoying the buzzard away from it's nesting ground. 

Just wanted to share the privilege of seeing such scene.   

Woodgreen

I see this a lot here, but it's usually corvids trying to chase away the buzzards. 

Jenny_Aster

Woodgreen said:

I see this a lot here, but it's usually corvids trying to chase away the buzzards. 

It could have been a magpie. Difficult to assess from so far away. 

gilla.walmsley

What a lovely story! Thanks for sharing. A brave little bird indeed!

Jellyfire

Crows, rooks etc will constantly harass buzzards, trying to keep them far away from nesting sites. Always feel a bit sorry for the buzzards who are juts gliding around minding their own business 

thevictorian

We have a lot of buzzards here and they are constantly being harassed by crows and seagulls. A blackbird wouldn't have anything to fear from them I'd have thought but I've seen the same behaviour from a bluetit chasing a kestrel.
The woods are alive with distressed blackbirds chasing off magpies and jays at the moment, which definitely do predate on them. Birds can be very ballsy and we had a blackbird trying to see off a cat on our fence the other day until I let my dog out to disuade the cat from trying anything. She loves cats (in a friendly way) but they don't stick around long enough to find out thankfully.

Jenny_Aster

Jellyfire said:

..... Always feel a bit sorry for the buzzards who are juts gliding around minding their own business 

Minding their own business  It's 'bird eat bird' out there! 

steephill

It is a range of corvids (magpies, crows, jackdaws) around here that are the aggressors, they harrass every other bird and other corvids too. Buzzards just trying to gain height on thermals get attacked all the time. I have watched corvids chase owls out of their daytime roosts too but I have never seen other birds attacking corvids first.

Jenny_Aster

That's interesting @steephill I've never really thought of buzzards (being a bird of prey) that way. I know jackdaws, magpies and their like can be really cruel, but I guess that's why they aren't a protected species as raptors appear to be.

Woodgreen

I love to watch buzzards ascending higher and higher on the thermals, until they're barely visible. It's not unusual to see five or more at a time, eight on one occasion. They often take off from the telephone poles along the lane and then I get a good close view of them. 
But I've never yet seen one catch anything!
The sound they make is up there with the curlew's for me, just magic!

I do discourage jays and magpies by disturbing them if they're alarming the other birds, but I don't consider them to be cruel,, any more than a frog eating a slug could be thought to be cruel. But with so many songbirds in decline  I feel okay about clapping my hands to scare away predators.

raisingirl

buzzards, swallows, skylarks and woodpeckers - that's pretty much what summer sounds like here. I love to hear the thrush, the robins and the wrens, too, but the more distinct ones dominate in the summer months